SiC Materials Research Articles

Engineered Core-Shell SiC@SiO2 Nanofibers for Enhanced Electromagnetic Wave Absorption Performance.

To enable SiC material to achieve high electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption performance, solving its impedance mismatch with EMW is necessary. Therefore, a novel approach is proposed for the precise control of impedance matching by adjusting the shell thickness of SiO2 nanolayers on the surface of SiC nanofibers (NFs). High-angle annular dark field-scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) reveals the atomic scale oxidation process of SiC, providing fresh insights into the oxidation mechanism. By oxidizing to construct a heterogeneous core-shell structure nanofiber (NF) can effectively lock the incident EMW inside the NF through the generated charges gathered at the interface, forming an electronic barrier that prevents the outward propagation of EMWs. The produced SiC@SiO2 NFs-3 exhibits exceptional EMW absorption properties, including an impressive minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of -53.09dB and a broad maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EABmax) of 8.85GHz. These findings not only deepen understanding of the oxidation mechanism of SiC but also offer valuable insights for further enhancing the EMW absorption capabilities of SiC materials, paving the way for their application in advanced EMW technologies.

Study on the influence of material properties in femtosecond laser ablation of 6H-SiC in water and SERS-based applications

We report on the formation of SiC nanoparticles coated with graphene oxide layers by femtosecond (fs) laser ablation of 6H-SiC (n-type and semi-insulating V-doped) in deionized water. Distinct structural features were observed in the surrounding matrix of colloidal spherical nanoparticles. This corresponds to the formation of micro-nanostructures of silicene sheets in the colloidal suspension. Further, the formation of subwavelength (∼λ/8) high spatial frequency laser-induced periodic surface structures (HSFL) is noticed on the ablated SiC surface. The variation in the size and periodicity of LIPSS is noted among two SiC targets with different resistivities. The study continued to investigate the morphology of furnace annealed (FA) and rapid thermal annealed (RTA) Au-deposited LIPSS towards sensing applications based on the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique. The formation of fine spherical Au nanoparticles is observed in the case of RTA samples, which exhibited predominant SERS enhancement in trace detection of the explosive analyte, Tetryl. This study on SiC using fs laser pulses unveils the uniqueness of SiC material in the ablation process, especially in producing the LIPSS and silicon-carbon-based nanoparticles/nanostructures that can be tailored for diverse applications.

Comprehensive analysis of chemical composition, electronic, luminescent, and electrical properties of amorphous graphite-silicon carbide thin films: A comparative study of as-deposited and post-annealed states

Graphite/SiC (GSC) thin films were synthesized on silicon substrates via a spray method, depositing a Si-graphite solution on preheated silicon samples at 350 °C, followed by annealing at 800 °C for 4 h. A systematic approach was employed to ensure the effective incorporation of graphite into the SiC material during solution preparation. Various analytical techniques, including XPS, UPS, Reflection Energy Electron Loss Spectroscopy (REELS), PL, AFM, and Hall effect measurements, were employed for comparative analysis of the chemical composition, morphological, electrical, and optoelectronic properties of as-deposited and annealed GSC films. XPS analysis revealed the presence of Si—C and graphitic bonds in the as-deposited GSC, with a significant compositional shift to oxygen-rich graphite oxide/oxycarbides after annealing. REELS demonstrated increased bandgap and bulk plasmon energy due to surface oxidation, while UPS highlighted a high electronic density in the as-deposited film, diminishing after annealing. AFM revealed a tendency of as-deposited GSC grains to form smaller, sharper structures after annealing, resulting in smoother and more homogeneous surface morphology. Phase AFM confirmed graphite incorporation at grain boundaries and within the bulk, forming a composite structure. PL spectra of the as-deposited film exhibited a broad visible emission with distinct sub-peaks linked to SiC bandgap transitions and carbon-rich defects. Chromaticity diagrams indicated suitability for white LED applications. Hall effect measurements showed excellent electrical properties of the as-deposited GSC film, with high carrier density and mobility, which reduced significantly after annealing, transitioning the material to a more insulating state. These findings collectively provide a comprehensive understanding of GSC thin films’ properties and their potential applications.

A Novel Contactless SiC Wafer Planarization Processing after Mechanical Slicing by Dynamic Thermal Annealing Processes

In conventional machining of SiC wafers, material loss and sub-surface damage (SSD) of both the front and back surfaces are major issues. In this study, we focused on Dynamic AGE-ing® (DA), which is a sublimation-controlled process, and applied it to the total wafering process without any mechanical contact of both the front and back surfaces to explore the possibilities to reach the CMP-equivalent quality. DA process enables material lossless planarization of SiC wafers by applying a temperature gradient to achieve simultaneous etching and growth at the same rate on one and the other surfaces, respectively. To drive the planarization function for a multi-wire saw finished as-sliced wafer, as an example, a high-temperature regime above 2000 °C under an Ar background pressure higher than 1 kPa to suppress etching and growth rates was employed as the first step in the DA treatment. In this step, an effective annealing function arises where sublimation and recrystallization occur simultaneously through a sub-surface region on both sides of the wafer. Due to the active interchange of the surface and subsurface layer, a self-organizing planarization effect occurs on a macroscopic scale on both surfaces with the removal of SSD. The conventional DA processes were employed for the following microscopic flatness control. As a result, the roughness of the 6-inch as-sliced wafer was reduced to 0.7 nm on the Si-face and 2.0 nm on the C-face while maintaining the wafer thickness. This is the first promising result exhibiting the potential of thermal contactless treatment for next-generation wafer manufacturing by improving quality and cost.

Optimization of temperature uniformity for multi microwave source alternating heating based on superpermutation planning enhanced by Harris Hawks optimization

For the optimization of material temperature distribution during multi-source microwave heating processes, we propose utilizing the Harris Hawks Optimization Algorithm to enhance the alternating heating strategy among multiple waveguides with superpermutations. Firstly, we innovatively introduce the concept of superpermutations to assign character weights, which subsequently correlates the alternating sequences of different waveguides. Besides, we employ Hamiltonian path planning to determine the optimal order of waveguide alternation. Then, we apply the Harris Hawks Optimization Algorithm and improve the algorithm based on microwave heating evaluation criteria to optimize the strategy for waveguide alternation and enhance search performance. At last, experimental validation involves heating SiC materials in a microwave reactor to verify the credibility of physical experiments against the simulation model used. This analysis includes assessing temperature uniformity and energy conversion efficiency during the heating process, thereby demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed heating strategy. The experimental results indicate that temperature uniformity improved by 37.75% to 80.25%, and energy conversion efficiency increased by 7.72%.

Improving the efficiency and stability of betavoltaic batteries based on understanding efficiency fluctuations and gaps with theoretical limits

Wide-bandgap semiconductors are regarded as preferred materials for preparing semiconductor conversion devices in betavoltaic batteries due to their high theoretical conversion efficiency (ηc). However, there are a few comprehensive analytical studies on why the experimental values of ηc are generally much lower than the theoretical limit of ηc (ηc-limit) and how to improve ηc and its stability. In this work, combined with the energy deposition distributions of Ti3H2, 63Ni, and 147Pm2O3 radioactive sources in SiC obtained from Monte Carlo simulations, a multi-physical mechanism, multi-parameter coupling numerical model was established. This model can comprehensively analyze the output characteristics of betavoltaic batteries under the influence of actual device structural and material parameter changes. Our results show that changes in structural and material parameters cause significant variations in the collection efficiency (Q) of the radiation-generated electron–hole pair (RG-EHP). Considering structural parameters are easy to control, instabilities in actual SiC material parameters, which include electron diffusion length (Ln), hole diffusion length (Lp), and surface recombination velocity (S), are the main reason that ηc fluctuates significantly and is generally far lower than ηc-limit. Due to differences in the distribution of RG-EHP produced by different radioactive sources in SiC, the dominant parameters causing ηc fluctuations differ. By analyzing differences in recombination loss mechanisms under different radioactive sources, the device structures were designed in a targeted manner to make ηc closer to ηc-limit. Meanwhile, when the SiC material quality fluctuates, the stability of ηc increases by 58.5%, 35.3%, and 48.2% under Ti3H2, 63Ni, and 147Pm2O3, respectively.

Exploring defect behavior in helium-irradiated single-crystal and nanocrystalline 3C-SiC at 800°C: A synergy of experimental and simulation techniques

In this study, single crystal (sc) and nanocrystalline (nc) 3C-SiC samples were subjected to 30 keV He ion irradiation across various doses while maintaining a temperature of 800 °C. Employing techniques including Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and nanoindentation, the alterations in microstructure and hardness resulting from He irradiation with various fluences were examined.In sc-SiC, irradiation prompted the formation of He platelets, resulting in a hardness increase of 7 GPa. In contrast, nc-SiC, characterized by a higher stacking fault density, exhibited the formation of bubbles, primarily at grain boundaries (GBs), with fewer occurrences within the grain interior, leading to a hardness increase of 1 GPa. Notably, in both sc- and nc-SiC, hardness reached saturation and subsequently stabilized or declined with increasing He fluence.Through molecular dynamics (MD) cascade simulations, we discerned that various planar defects do not uniformly contribute to enhancing radiation resistance. For example, intrinsic stacking faults (ISF) and twins in SiC played a substantial role in altering defect density and configurations, thereby facilitating point defect annihilation. Conversely, extrinsic stacking faults (ESF) and Σ3 GBs had a limited impact on defect production during a cascade.Furthermore, calculations of cluster diffusivity revealed an accelerated movement of He-vacancy towards GBs compared to bulk material and other planar defects. Moreover, the scarcity of point defects and constrained mobility of He atoms towards stacking faults in nc-SiC elucidated the marked tendency of He to form platelets in sc-SiC.Additionally, our findings established a correlation between the calculated indentation hardness and the geometry of He defects, consistent with experimental results from nanoindentation. These results significantly contribute to ongoing efforts to design SiC materials with heightened radiation tolerance.

Ab initio study of helium behavior near stacking faults in 3C-SiC

First-principles calculations are used to investigate the effects of stacking faults (SFs) on helium trapping and diffusion in cubic silicon carbon (3C-SiC). Both extrinsic and intrinsic SFs in 3C-SiC create a hexagonal stacking sequence. The hexagonal structure is found to be a strong sink of a helium interstitial. Compared to perfect 3C-SiC, the energy barriers for helium migration near the SFs increase significantly, leading to predominant helium diffusion between the SFs in two dimensions. This facilitates the migration of helium towards interface traps, as confirmed by previous experimental reports on the nanocrystalline 3C-SiC containing a high density of SFs. This study also reveals that the formation of helium interstitial clusters near the SFs is not energetically favored. The findings from this study enhance our comprehension of helium behavior in faulted 3C-SiC, offering valuable insights for the design of helium-tolerant SiC materials intended for reactor applications.

MAF process for aluminum 6060: An analytical temperature modelling and chemo-mechanical analysis

The magnetic abrasive finishing process is a sophisticated micro-finishing process that enhances the surface quality of superalloys, ceramics, and composites. Surface temperature plays a pivotal role in facilitating chemo-mechanical reactions between the processed surface and abrasive particles. In triggering the chemo-mechanical response of the micro-finished surface of Aluminum 6060 (Al-6060), an analytical thermal model derived using Jaeger moving heat formulation to find the flash temperature (FT) and flash time duration (FTD) at the micro-finishing interface of the processed workpiece and the abrasive particles of the magnetic abrasive brush. Furthermore, the present work performed an RSM-based Box Behnken design experiment to analyse and explain the crucial role of machining gap, abrasive weight, Voltage, and rotational speed on surface temperature, machining surface, and hardness. ANOVA highlighted key factors in machining responses. Surface roughness and temperature were notably influenced by voltage (58.42 % and 57.62 %, respectively), while surface hardness primarily depended on abrasive weight (60.65 %). Using the developed model, extreme FT of 880 °C and 810 °C were calculated under specific conditions, along with corresponding FTD required for quasi-steady-state conditions. FT and FTD were identified as sufficient for initiating chemo-mechanical action in the MAF micro-finishing process, depending on contact pressure, the number of abrasive particles, and sliding velocity, which in turn are influenced by magnetic intensity, abrasive ratio, and rotational speed. Furthermore, a detailed examination of the finished surface was carried out using the SEM, EDS and XRD of Al-6060 which shows that the SiC does participate on the finishing surface. Chemical substrates such as Kaolinite (Al2O9Si2), Iron silicide (FeSi), and Cristobalite (O2Si) had formed on the finished surface of Al-6060 due to the chemo-mechanical action between the SiC and workpiece material.

Experiments of Main Parameters Affecting the Erosive Behavior of Self-Excited Oscillating Abrasive Water Jets: Length of Self-Oscillation Chamber, Jet Pressure, Abrasive Fluid Velocity, and Abrasive Grain Size.

To enhance the erosion efficiency in traditional abrasive water jet processing, an abrasive water jet processing method based on self-excited fluid oscillation is proposed. Traditional abrasive water jet methods suffer from reduced jet kinetic energy due to the presence of a stagnation layer, which hinders efficient material removal. By integrating a self-oscillation chamber into the conventional abrasive water jet nozzle, the continuous jet is transformed into a pulsed jet, thereby increasing the jet velocity and enhancing the kinetic energy of the process. This modification aims to improve material removal efficiency. Using Ansys Fluent, we simulated the material removal efficiency on workpiece surfaces with varying lengths of self-oscillation chambers. The simulation results reveal that the optimal length of the self-oscillation chamber for maximum erosion is 4 mm. SiC materials were used to evaluate the impact of self-oscillation chamber length (L), jet pressure (P), abrasive flow rate (M), and abrasive grain size (D) on erosion. Experimental results show that the self-oscillation chamber increases erosion depth by 33 μm. The maximum erosion depths recorded were 167 μm when L = 4 mm, 223 μm when P = 16 MPa, 193 μm when M = 80 g/min, and 268 μm when D = 2000 μm. Overall, the self-excited oscillation effect enhances the erosion efficiency of the waterjet by 14%. This study further elucidates the factors influencing erosion behaviors in oscillating abrasive water jet processing.

A novel siloxene@MoS2 heterostructure for improving the wear and corrosion resistance performance of epoxy coatings

Siloxene (Sic) flakes are two-dimensional silicon-based materials that have been extensively investigated in the domains of batteries, supercapacitors, and electrocatalysis, with essentially no research in the domain of corrosion and wear resistance performance of metal coatings. In this study, Sic sheets were prepared through topological chemical exfoliation and applied to epoxy (EP) resin systems for the first time. The effects of Sic sheets on the corrosion and wear resistance performance of the composite coatings were explored. To improve the enhancement effect of Sic on the tribological properties and corrosion resistance of the composite coatings, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), which exerts a self-lubricating effect and an enhanced interfacial effect, was grown on the surface of Sic using a hydrothermal method. The corrosion resistance and tribological properties of the prepared composite coatings were characterized through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, polarization curve analysis, and friction and wear tests. The results indicated that the composite coating containing 0.75 wt% siloxene@MoS2 (Sic@MS) has the best corrosion resistance and tribological properties. Compared with the pure EP coating, the wear rate of the Sic@MS coating with the aforementioned concentration was reduced by 67 %. Furthermore, the impedance module value at 0.01 Hz was increased by three orders of magnitude and the corrosion current density was reduced by three orders of magnitude after 60 days of immersion in NaCl solution. The above results provide a new idea for the application of Sic materials.

Mechanism and regulation of thermal damage on picosecond laser modification dicing of SiC wafer

Picosecond laser modification dicing (PLMD), compared with blade dicing, is more suitable for high-efficiency and low-damage processing of high hardness and brittleness SiC materials. However, the potential thermal damage restricts the further promotion of PLMD technology. To solve this problem, in this paper, the thermal damage behavior and mechanism of PLMD are studied by means of experiment and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In sidewall, the thermal damage manifests as thermal decomposition and amorphization. The thermal decomposition, which is essentially the graphitization caused by the gasification of Si and enrichment of C, occurs in the atmospheric pressure modified layers. The amorphization, caused by 470.0 GPa high pressure and 1.58 × 1013K/s cooling rate, occurs in the high pressure modified layers. Other forms of thermal damage, including cracking, chipping, and oxidation, are caused by heat accumulation in kerf region. The focal overlap rate is refined through an intensity correction factor, then transformed into the effective pulse number, serving as input for the model. This contributes to model with an average accuracy of 81 %. By adopting a thermal damage regulation strategy, PLMD of SiC wafers without thermal damage is realized.

Atomistic insights into chemical vapor deposition process of preparing silicon carbide materials using ReaxFF-MD simulation

SiC is a kind of key advanced coating material used widely. The in-depth understanding of the CVD process of preparing SiC materials at the atomic scale is beneficial for studying the CVD mechanism and then optimizing the materials. Here, a CVD model of preparing SiC materials is established based on ReaxFF-MD considering the whole pyrolysis-adsorption-desorption-growth mechanism. The accuracy of the ReaxFF potential and its parameters is verified by DFT at first. Then an energy-based Monte Carlo (EMC)-MD-CVD model is proposed based on the bonding formation energy originating from DFT. It is used to simulate the CVD process of preparing SiC materials. The CVD of MTS is studied by deposition efficiency and deposited film components at different temperatures, and it can be found it in good agreement with experimental results. Finally, the crystallization of SiC film prepared by the CVD of MTS is studied by energy evolution and atomic structure evolution. The results are helpful to understand the CVD mechanism for preparing coatings and it can be used to optimize the CVD parameters of preparing SiC materials in the future.

Circuit design of a novel front readout circuit for SiC neutron detector with leakage current compensation

Radiation detectors have broad application prospects in environmental radiation monitoring, radiation source identification, biomedical imaging, space exploration, astrophysics, other radiation detection and imaging fields. Among the third generation semiconductors, the properties of 4H-SiC are more suitable for making high-temperature and strong radiation neutron detectors. SiC materials have become a current research hotspot. In this paper a special readout integrated circuit is designed for the extremely weak current pulse signal output by SiC trench neutron detector. A leakage current compensation circuit is designed for the influence of leakage current on charge sensitive amplifier(CSA) output baseline. The noise of CSA output is analyzed and the noise minimization is carried out. The circuit can quickly respond to the input signal and extract the energy and time information. The circuit is designed based on the DB Hitek 0.18μm CMOS process model. The layout design is achieved and the post-simulation is completed. Simulated results show that the equivalent input charge range of the system is about 2fC ∼ 20fC. The charge conversion gain is 88mV/fC. The nonlinear error is within 1.6 %. Moreover, the equivalent noise charge is 22e-. The circuit has the advantages of high gain, high linearity and low noise. Therefore, the circuit can effectively adapt to the characteristics of the charge signal output from SiC trench neutron detectors and amplify the output charge signal.

Enhancing Semiconductor Package Reliability through Mechanical Property Optimization of Pressureless Sintering Die Attach Adhesives

There is growing demand for high-power devices, wide bandgap SiC and GaN semiconductor materials in semiconductor market, and a drive to integrate die attach materials that can replace lead-containing solders. However, epoxy-based and solder materials face challenges to meet high thermal conductivity and survive elevated working temperatures. Pressure-assisted silver sintering has overcome these challenges, but downsides of pressure-assisted silver sintering are that it requires special equipment and for some applications, packages are unable to withstand the pressure required to facilitate sintering. Pressureless sintering materials could be processed using the same equipment as traditional die attach adhesives. It develops strong metal bonds to substrates, providing high thermal conductivity and withstanding high temperatures. However, compared to pressure-assisted sintering, pressureless materials may have difficulties to form a dense bondline structure if the formulation design is not optimized. Moreover, once the sintered structure is built during cure, further bondline reduction may induce additional stress. Therefore, it is critical that the pressureless sintering material’s mechanical properties are formulated to effectively manage stress and pass all reliability testing – especially for automotive packages. This paper will present the findings from a study that evaluated the impact of various formulation components – such as silver packing and resin chemistry – on the mechanical properties and interfacial bonding of pressureless sintering die attach adhesives. The effect on in-package reliability performance was also investigated to better understand material properties that can pass reliability testing while maintaining high thermal and electrical conductivity adhesive requirements.

Single-event burnout resilient design of 4H-SiC MOSFETs through staircase-like buffer layer

With the rapid development of SiC materials, high-power devices such as SiC MOSFETs have been widely used in aerospace, new energy, nuclear applications, and other fields. This places higher demands on their reliability, especially about radiation effects. This paper proposes a 4H-SiC staircase-like buffer layer MOSFET (SBL-MOSFET) with a hardened structure against single-event burnout (SEB). A comparison is made with conventional VD-MOSFET, gauss buffer layer MOSFET (GBL-MOSFET), and double buffer layer MOSFET (DBL-MOSFET) through TCAD simulations. The performance of the SBL-MOSFET against single-event burnout is studied by investigating the electric field distribution, impact ionization rate, hole concentration, and lattice temperature. The simulation results demonstrate that the staircase-like buffer layer structure effectively improves the distribution of high electric field, reduces the impact ionization rate, and thus increases the SEB threshold voltage compared to other structures. The proposed SBL-MOSFET exhibits a 67.5 % improvement in single-event burnout threshold voltage compared to the conventional VD-MOSFET, with slight degradation of breakdown voltage and leakage current. Meanwhile, there is no significant change in other electrical parameters.

Enhanced electrocatalytic HER performances of metal free SiC/g-C3N5 heterostructures

Here in, we have fabricated a composite of SiC and g-C3N5 to form a noble-metal-free heterostructure as SiC/g-C3N5 for electrochemical HER activity. More than a few characterization techniques were investigated for their structural properties, such as the XRD, UV- DRS, FT-IR, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, and XPS measurements respectively. The HER reaction of SiC/g-C3N5 heterostructure with an overpotential obtained from Tafel slope of 81 mV/dec vs RHE at 10 mA/cm2 which is much better than that of the pristine SiC material. This work entitles that the effective approach for the rational design of g-C3N5-based electrocatalysts, for future developments in metal-free electrocatalysts.

Study on the Removal Depth of the Surface Plastic Domain of Silicon-Modified Silicon Carbide

Silicon carbide (Sic) materials find wide-ranging applications in advanced optical systems within the aerospace, astronomical observation, and high-intensity laser fields. The silicon-modified Sic used in this study was created by depositing an amorphous silicon film on the surface of a Sic substrate using electron beam evaporation. Such hard and brittle materials often yield smooth surfaces when subjected to plastic removal. To address the issue of the removal depth of the surface plastic domain for silicon-modified Sic, we propose a method to calculate the indentation depth based on the critical load for the transition from plastic to brittle removal. We conducted a series of nanoindentation and nanoscratching experiments. The critical depth formula was validated through mechanical parameters such as hardness, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness, and the theoretical critical depth of the modified silicon layer was calculated to be 2.71 μm. The research results indicate that the critical load for obtaining the plastic-to-brittle transition point during the nanoindentation experiment is 886 mN, at which point the depth of plastic removal is 2.95 μm, closely matching the theoretical value. The measurements taken with an atomic force microscope near the critical load reveal a scratch depth of 3.12 μm, with a relative error of less than 5% when compared to the calculated value. This study establishes a solid foundation for achieving high-quality surface processing.

Determining the thermal conductivity and phonon behavior of SiC materials with quantum accuracy via deep learning interatomic potential model

SiC is essential for next-generation semiconductors and nuclear plant components. Its performance is strongly influenced by its thermal conductivity, which is highly sensitive to its microstructure. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is one of the most reliable methods for studying thermal transportation mechanisms in devices with nano-scale microstructures. Nevertheless, owing to inaccurate interatomic potentials, the implementation of MD for studying SiC still presents limitations. This study used the deep potential (DP) methodology to develop two interatomic potential (DP-IAPs) models for studying SiC, based on two adaptively generated datasets within the density functional approximations at the local density and generalized gradient levels. Combined with the LD and MD simulations, the thermal transport and mechanical properties of SiC were systematically investigated. The proposed DP-IAPs can accurately reproduce the structural properties, phonon behaviors, and thermal properties of various SiC polytypes. The two DP-IAPs exhibited extraordinary speed with high accuracy in both simulating the lattice dynamics (LD) and analyzing the scattering rate of phonon transportation. Our proposed methodology paves the way for a systematic approach to model heat transport in SiC-based devices and nuclear grade SiC components using multiscale modeling.

Metal-assisted chemical etching beyond Si: applications to III-V compounds and wide-bandgap semiconductors.

Metal-assisted chemical etching (MacEtch) has emerged as a versatile technique for fabricating a variety of semiconductor nanostructures. Since early investigations in 2000, research in this field has provided a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms of catalytic etching processes and enabled high control over etching conditions for diverse applications. In this Review, we present an overview of recent developments in the application of MacEtch to nanomanufacturing and processing of III-V based semiconductor materials and other materials beyond Si. We highlight the key findings and developments in MacEtch as applied to GaAs, GaN, InP, GaP, InGaAs, AlGaAs, InGaN, InGaP, SiC, β-Ga2O3, and Ge material systems. We further review a series of active and passive devices enabled by MacEtch, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), field-effect transistors (FETs), optical gratings, sensors, capacitors, photodiodes, and solar cells. By reviewing demonstrated control of morphology, optimization of etch conditions, and catalyst-material combinations, we aim to distill the current understanding of beyond-Si MacEtch mechanisms and to provide a bank of reference recipes to stimulate progress in the field.